PRESENTERS DIRECTORY Keynote Speaker Meg Southerland

PRESENTERS DIRECTORY
Keynote Speaker
Meg Southerland
Meg Southerland began Gardenworks at MacClan Farms in Salem, NY with her father when he
retired from the family dairy farm in 1992. Gardenworks farm now produces U-pick berries, flowers
used in floral arrangements, pumpkins and specialty winter squashes, fresh evergreens, wreaths and
Christmas trees. It hosts workshops and have a full farm store, which offers handcrafted gifts and
specialty foods. Gardenworks also hosts farm to table dinners and art shows in the historic barn. Meg Southerland holds a Bachelor's Degree in plant science from Cornell University and a Master's
degree in botanic garden management from the University of Delaware. As a student, she apprenticed
at the Kew Royal Botanical Gardens in London and the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens in Scotland.
Workshop Presenters
Douglas Allbee
Elizabeth Almeida
Douglas Allbee has an extensive background in organizational
management and training. As he co-founder of ViewBoost, he
was responsible for the development of the travel app. His prior
work as Senior Manager, Training and Support, for TomTom/
TeleAtlas, a global GIS mapping firm, helped him to gain an
understanding of what features were needed and unique for a
travel app focused on Vermont. Douglas has a BA from Lyndon
State and a MBA from Norwich University.
Elizabeth Almeida, farmer and owner of Fat Moon Farm, has
diversified her income by offering educational and culinary
programs while growing and selling vegetables through
FarmBucks, a hybrid CSA. Her programs, business model, and
volunteer culture have been featured in edibleBoston and through
MDAR (Massachusetts Department of Agriculture).
ViewBoost Vermont
Roger Allbee
ViewBoost Vermont
Roger Allbee has extensive experience in agriculture and food
systems at the international, national, regional and state level.
He has been Secretary of Agriculture for the State of Vermont,
and has served as Executive Director of the USDA Farm Service
Agency for the state. He has been on the professional staff of the
U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, has served as Chair of
the Animal and Animal Products Advisory Committee to the U.S.
Secretary of Agriculture and the U.S. Trade Ambassador. Allbee
was a VP and member of the Senior Staff of the former Farm Credit
Banks for the Northeast. He has chaired the Advisory Committee
to the UVM College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and has
been the chair of the Vermont Council of Rural Development’s
coalition to create the Working Lands Enterprise Fund.
Fat Moon Farm
Misse Axelrod
NOFA-VT Farm to Community Mentor and owner of The Barn Yard
Misse Axelrod is the NOFA-VT Farm to Community Mentor for
Washington and Orange Counties, the Farm to School and
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Coordinator for Washington South
Supervisory Union. She is also the owner and farmer of The Barn
Yard, a small family farm nestled in the hills of Roxbury, VT. Mixed
vegetables and high tunnels supply year-round food for 30 CSA
families, summer camps, after school camps and for the local
school cafeteria.
Eric Barrett
Ohio State University Extension
Eric Barrett is an Assistant Professor and Extension Educator,
specializing in marketing and local foods. He has been teaching
and leading OSU Extension programs since 1996. He works
with many aspects of agriculture, including urban farming. His
passions are teaching and helping farmers improve marketing
practices.
PRESENTERS DIRECTORY
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Brianne Casadei
Judith Irving
After graduating from UVM, Brianne Casadei started Terra Firma
Farm 11 years ago with the mission of being profitable and offering
educational programs to children. Casadei leases 20 acres as an
educational farm and hopes to start a second partnership production
farm on 1,000 acres next year. Terra Firma offers 11 weeks of camp
each year; each camp fills up its 36 spots and has a waiting list. The
farm offers school programs that are primarily educational field trips
with the addition of an in-class incubation program every spring. The
farm offers homeschool programs, Saturday-themed programs as
well as some adult programs. Together the educational programs
and the farm’s products support the sustainability of the enterprise.
Judith Irving is a partner in Fat Toad Farm, a small family run
goat dairy in Central Vermont specializing in artisanal goat’s milk
caramel sauces. Five years ago she helped found the Floating
Bridge Food and Farms Cooperative, a group of about 15 farm
and food related businesses in the “greater Brookfield” area.
Terra Firma Farm
Jackie Casserta
Walpole Valley Farms, Inn at Valley Farms
Jackie Casserta lives and works on a multigenerational family farm in
Walpole, NH. Walpole Valley Farms is a highly diversified operation
with grass-fed beef, heritage pigs, meat and laying chickens,
vegetables, fruit, and flowers. While overseeing the vegetable and
fruit production, Jackie has operated the inn on the farm for 16 years
as a further diversification strategy for farm profitability.
Gregory Cox
Vermont Farmers Market Education Center (VFFC)
Greg Cox has been farming in the Rutland region for nearly forty
years and has been involved the local food system for nearly
as long. He co-founded the Rutland Area Farm and Food Link
(RAFFL), was the driving force in the creation of Vermont’s first
year-round farmers’ market, and has been actively seeding farmers
in Rutland County with his unique on-farm incubator program for
over a decade. He is the current president and co-founder of the
Vermont Farmers Food Center, a food-based 501c3, working
to rebuild the agricultural infrastructure in the region as well as
historical markets. The Center has purchased a 3-acre industrial
site in the heart of downtown Rutland that serves as the host
site for the winter farmers market. The site is being renovated to
include a climate controlled, shared use, food storage, aggregation
and distribution facility as well as a commercial kitchen.
Chris Howell
Vermont Farm Tours
Chris Howell runs Vermont Farm Tours, a culinary tour business
that introduces guests to Vermont farms and food/drink producers.
Chris is Vice Chair of Slow Food Vermont and co-chairs Farm to
Plate’s Consumer Education and Marketing Working Group and
the Agritourism Task Force. In his various capacities, Chris works
with a handful of small to mid-sized food and ag-related Facebook
and Twitter accounts.
Floating Bridge Food and Farms Cooperative, Fat Toad Farm
Beth Kennett
U.S. Farm Stay Association, Liberty Hill Farm
Beth and her husband Bob have operated Liberty Hill Farm since
1979. They milk 120 registered Holsteins ad Beth has operated a
farm stay business since 1984. She is active nationally, regionally and
statewide on agriculture and agritourism boards, including founding
Chair of VT Farms! Association, Board President of the U.S. Farm
Stay Association, and delegate for Agrimark/Cabot Cooperative.
Pam Knights
Pam Knights Communications
Branding and communications strategist Pam Knights, owners
of Pam Knights Communications, a full service marketing
communications business based in Vermont since 2000, brings
more than 30 years of marketing experience to agriculture,
culinary, hospitality, and agritourism businesses in New England.
While working as director of PR & Special Events for New England
Culinary Institute, Pam worked to establish the Vermont Fresh
Network with the Agency of Agriculture, and currently services on
the board of the Vermont Farms Association.
Kathleen Liang
University of Vermont
Dr. Kathleen Liang has designed, developed, and implemented
award-winning entrepreneurship programs at UVM. Since 1998,
her research, teaching and outreach funded by the USDA and
other agencies focus on supporting small enterprises by offering
science-based information particularly helpful to multifunctional farm
enterprises, and value added, direct sales, and off farm opportunities.
Rob Leeds
Ohio State University Extension
Rob Leeds is an Extension Educator with Ohio State University
Extension. Marketing is his specialization and he is an agritourism
enthusiast. Rob is past president of the North American Farmers
Direct Marketing Association (NAFDMA). Rob’s passion is
engaging customers at agritourism operations through innovative
activities and focusing on customer experience.
PRESENTERS DIRECTORY
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Gail Makuch
Jen Miller
Gail Makuch uses her creative, people, data and project
management expertise to help businesses and mission driven
organization thrive by coordinating information and feedback to
make positive changes. With over 15 years of experience and a
Certificate in Nonprofit Management, Gail is passionate
professionally and personally about sustainable agriculture, the
environment and beekeeping.
Jen miller coordinates RAFFL’s New Farmer program, offering
support and guidance to area farmers. Jen recently completed
a Master’s degree in community development and applied
economics. When Jen is not working, she enjoys growing
vegetables and sharing good food with family and friends.
Gail Friday, LLC
Caitlin Mandel
Our Natural Heritage (blog)
Caitlin is a Rhode Island native with over seven years
experience as an environmental educator and communicator.
She is passionate about exploring tourism’s potential to support
sustainable communities and engage the public in environmental
conservation. When she’s not at her day job at the University of
Rhode Island, Caitlin can be found seeking out local adventures to
feature on her blog about ecotourism, Our Natural Heritage (www.
ournaturalheritage.org).
Cynthia Martel
West Virginia Department of Agriculture
Cindy Martel, a Marketing Specialist for the West Virginia
Department of Agriculture, has been working in West Virginia
agriculture for more than 20 years. She holds a Master’s degree in
Agriculture from West Virginia University. Her professional interests
are in agritourism, rural development, agribusiness, international
trade and grants administration.
Lucas Marxen
Office of Research Analytics, New Jersey Agricultural
Experiment Station
Lucas Marxen is Assistant Director of Research Technology at the
New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station’s Office of Research
Analytics. He provides expertise in the use of GIS tools and
the integration of computer technology and interactive website
applications into applied agricultural and resource management
programming.
Kevin McNaught
Trevin Farms
Kevin and his partner Trop operate a small goat farm in Sudbury,
VT called Trevin Farms. They also host a farm stay in their house,
not only as a way to diversify their income but also to provide a fun
and educational experience for their guests. They offer cheesemaking classes and are one of the stops for Vermont Farm Tours.
Rutland Area Farm and Food Link (RAFFL)
Katharine Millonzi
FarmShare NY
Katharine Millonzi has dedicated the past year to exploring the
potential of agritourism in the Hudson Valley, through research
for FarmShare NY and Glynwood. An ecological gastronome
and former Fulbright Fellow, Katharine brings her international
experience with food and farmers to her current work as a farm
stay management consultant.
Cheryl Mitchell
Treleven
Cheryl and Don Mitchell have raised sheep for 40 years. As
educators, they partner with non-profits, schools and colleges
to provide place-based experiences. Cheryl is a NOFA Farm to
Community Mentor, with a deep background in early childhood,
family support, and social policy. Her degrees are from Swarthmore,
UVM, and Union.
Don Mitchell
Treleven
Don Mitchell helped create the Vermont Sheep Breeders
Association. He taught for 25 years at Middlebury College in the
Environmental Studies, Film/Video and English departments. His
highly regarded course, “Nature’s Meanings,” provided hundreds
of students with an intimate experience of farm life. For the course,
each student spent a night in the barn, helping to deliver lambs.
Ginger Nickerson
University of Vermont Extension Center
for Sustainable Agriculture
Ginger Nickerson is the Produce Safety Coordinator for UVM
Extension’s Center for Sustainable Agriculture. She provides
technical assistance, education and research on produce safety
in Vermont and the region, and has helped over 150 farms in
Vermont write and implement safety plans.
PRESENTERS DIRECTORY
Mari Omland
Floating Bridge Food and Farms Cooperative,
Green Mountain Girls Farm
Mari Omland grew up in the hills around Rutland and in 2007
returned to Vermont with her partner Laura Olsen to establish
Green Mountain Girls Farm. They food for a year-round, whole
diet CSA and provide authentic farm experiences (day visits/
overnight stays/events). The farm is a member of the Floating
Bridge Food and Farms Cooperative, a local group using handson experiences to deepen appreciation for working lands while
enhancing farm viability. Prior to returning to Vermont, Mari worked
with Conservation International and the Ghana Wildlife Department
establishing Kakum National Park and its canopy walkway, winner
of the Condé Nast Ecotourism Award and the British Airways
Tourism for Tomorrow Award.
Tom Pyle
Pyle Agency, Inc.
Tom began his insurance and financial services career in 1982 after
completing his college education at the University of Vermont. He
grew up on his family’s dairy farm in Addison County Vermont and
continues to be involved with registered dairy cattle. Tom joined the
Farm Family Insurance Companies in 1997 to focus his practice
on farmers, agri-business owners, and other business owners in
Vermont and New York. He strives to help clients evaluate the risks
they face in their business and personal lives and to understand
how to mitigate those risks.
Brian Schilling
Rutgers Cooperative Extension
Brian Schilling is Assistant Extension Specialist of Agricultural
Policy within Rutgers Cooperative Extension and Assistant
Professor of agricultural, food and resource economics at the
School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers
University. His programming focuses on farm viability, farmland
preservation, agritourism risk management and agricultural
economic development.
Doolarie Singh-Knights
West Virginia University
Doolarie Singh-Knights, an assistant professor of Agriculture and
Resource Economics at West Virginia University, coordinated
the development of the West Virginia Agritourism Initiative in
2014. She holds Masters and PhD degrees in Natural Resource
Economics from West Virginia University. Her academic interests
are in agritourism, rural development, sustainable agriculture,
agribusiness, and extension education.
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Meghan Sheridan
Vermont Fresh Network, Vermont Farms! Association
Meghan Sheridan is the executive director of the Vermont Fresh
Network, where she strives to increase our collective understanding
and appreciation for Vermont grown, raised and produced foods by
linking Vermont’s culinary professionals with Vermont’s agricultural
professionals. Meghan has a diverse agricultural background, with
extensive experience in direct marketing.
Vera Simon-Nobes
Shelburne Farms
Vera Simon-Nobes coordinates program development and
communications for the Farm-Based Education Network, a free
member network established to strengthen and support the work
of educators, farmers, and community leaders providing access
and educational experiences on working farms. She also works
with a team of Shelburne Farms education staff and other partners
to plan agricultural education professional development and to
support Vermont’s growing agritourism community.
Stephanie Smith
VT Agency of Agriculture
Stephanie Smith, AICP, works for the Vermont Agency of
Agriculture Food & Markets and analyzes land use policies that
influence the farming industry. She is a certified planner and holds
a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the University
of Georgia. She worked in municipal government as a planner and
as Senior Associate in the Municipal Assistance Center at Vermont
League of Cities and Towns helping municipal officials navigate
land use issues.